The patriotic myths created around the image of Elizabeth I, the Virgin/Warrior Queen, and the Spanish Armada.
Presented by Dr Lucy Worsley.
Audio: English. Subtitles: English – Español.

Propaganda campaigns and "fake news" are nothing new.
But it is less well–known that they were masterfully deployed in Elizabethan times, in order to give courage to the English people in the difficult fight against Spain.
Thus, the Armada was qualified as "Invincible" by the English themselves, in order to magnify their victory!
And the factual history is that most of the losses suffered by the Armada were due to extremely heavy storms, and not to the English guns.
Finally, although the Armada certainly did not accomplish its objectives, NEITHER was it "annihilated", as usually supposed: somewhat more than half its ships succeeded in returning to Spain, carrying out a terribly dangerous circumnavigation of the British Isles via the north of Scotland, in what can only be qualified as an exceptional sailing prowess.
Thus, the "official" history created very powerful myths for patriotic propaganda purposes. These myths have become, for all intents and purposes, an integral part of the popular conscience of British history, and they are anchored in the national psyche. They have repeatedly served similar purposes on later occasions of national crisis.

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